Loom harness



Dec. 24, 1968 F. H. KAUFMANN 3,417,787

LOOM HARNESS Piled Sept. 7, 1966 IN vewron 2 FRANK H. KAUFMANN United States Patent O "ice 3,417,787 LOOM HARNESS Frank H. Kaufmann, Huntingdon Valley, Pa. assignor t Steel Heddle Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Ia., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Sept. 7, 1966, Ser. N0. 579,797 3 Claims. (C1. 13991) ABSTRACT OF TI-IE DISCLOSURE Attachrnent for the metal rails of harness frames of looms to prevent rubbing of the metal rails during shedding, the attachrnent being a guide of material of low coeflicien of friction and being held in fixed engagernent with the side faces of the rails without distortion thereof by fasteners in shear, and preferably separate fastening members at each side wall of the rail, the attachment being suitable for various shapes of metal rails and not being limited for use with specific cross section, as heretofore.

This invention relates to 100m harness and more particularly to attachments for metal rails of heddle frames which prevent abrasion of the metal rails by aiding in the separation of tne frarnes during their movernent in forming the shed.

Heddle frames having top and bottom rails of metal have been extensively used in looms. The rubbing of the rails during shedding is a particular source of difliculty because of the wear which occurs and because of the tendency of the metal to soil the fabric being woven. Guides on the rails to avoid rubbing have proven advantageous.

One suitable guide of this type is shown in the prior U.S. patent of John J. Kaufmann, N0. 3251383 in which the guide is in frictional engagement With an outer rib on the rail. This guide mounting is limited to particular rail constructions employing an outer rib.

lt is the principal object of the present invention t0 provide an improved guide mounted 011 the rail of a heddle frame which gives an improved character of guid- 1ng.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a guide for heddle frames which is mounted in fixed engagement with a portion of the frame rail and which can be held in position in a simple but effective manner so that interference -with the operating devices for the harness frames is avoided.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide apparatus of the character aforesaid which is inexpensive to construct and can be readily applied to heddle frame rails and which is positively retained at the desired location in a simple but efiective inanner.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a heddle frame guide of the character aforesaid which can be made of a material which reduces the tendency to abrade the metal heddle frame rail upon sliding thereover.

Other objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the description and claims.

Thenature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part thereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a heddle frame having guides in accordance with the invention applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view, enlarged, taken approxirnately on the line 22 of FIG. 1, and showing the rails of two contiguous heddle frarnes;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing one mode of applying fastening devices for the guide; and

3,4l7787 Patented Dec. 24, 1968 FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of a preferred form 0f guide prior to its attachment to the heddle frame rail.

lt should, of course, be understood that the description and drawings herein are illustrative merely, and that various modifications and changes rnay be made in the arrangement shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several vrews.

The guide in accordance with the invention preferably includes an attachable body member having a flaring head portion disposed over and beyond the metal rail 0f a heddle frarne with flat side plate portions which are disposed a substantial distance vertically on the side faces of the heddle frarne rails, with permanent fasten-.

ing rnembers extending through the side plate portions and engaging the walls without distortion of the rail.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawings, in the embodirnent of the invention therein illustrated, a heddle frarne for a weaving m is shown having top and bottom rails 10 formed of hollow extrusions of alurninurn or other light metal alloy. The rails 10 are connected at their ends by side struts 11 connected thereto in any desired rrnanner, such as by screws 12 to maintain the rails 10 at fixed distances apart during weaving.

Extending from end to end in the heddle frame are the top and bottom heddle supporting rods 15 upon which the heddles 16 are slidably mounted in the usual and custornary manner. The heddles 16 can be of any desired type With end eyes at 17 engaging the heddle rods 15 and warp eyes 18 intermediate their ends. The heddles 16 can be 0f the character shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of Patent N0. 20475 11, but are not limited to that type of heddle.

The heddle rods 15 can be secured in position in a well known .manner, such as by spring members (not shown) as in prior Patents Nos. 2560512 and 2796083.

In a preferred form of rail 10 the Same has horizontally spaced substantially vertical side walls 20 with exterior faces 21 and upper and lower outer horizontal edge walls 22, the outer walls 22 each being provided with a substantially flat outer horizontal face 23 With a central positioning groove 24 for other purposes.

The walls 20 have inner spaced parallel faces 25.

The guide member 30 in accordance with the present invention and as illustrated particularly in FIGS. 2 and 4 comprises a unitary body preferably formed as an extrusion of a synthetic plastic material having a 10W coeflicient of friction when in rubbing contact With the metal rails. For this purpose, nylon has been found suitable because in addition to its abrasion resistance it is also tough, resilient, inert and does not in itself tend to soil the fabric being woven.

The body of the guide member 30 preferably includes a hollow head 31 With parallel side plate portions 32 extending therefrorn.

The head 31 has a curved elongated outer end face 33 with opposite flaring faces 34 extending therefrorn to outer parallel side faces 35 which are continuous with the outer faces 35 of the side plate portions 32.

The head 31 has an inner horizontal end face 37 for engagernent With the face 23 of the rail and parallel inner side faces 38 for engagement With the side wall faces 21.

In order to retain the guide mernbers 30 in place the plate portions are provided With openings 39 having enlarged outer portions 40 for the reception of heads 41 of fastening devices 42 such as rivets. The heads 41 are in- Wardly of the faces 35 and 35a to avoid contact With heads 41 of fasteners 42 of adjoining frames. The fastening devices have shanks 43 which extend through openings 44 in the walls 20 and have inner holding enlargements 45 which engage the inner faces 25.

While any desired fastening devices 42 can be employed it is preferred that the plate portions 32 be secured independently to each side Wall 22 as to avoid any distortion of the rails 10, such as might occur if through fastening devices were provided engaging one plate portion 32 then extending through the Walls 22 on both sides of the rail and then engaging the other plate ortion 32.

One suitable form cf fastening device 42 is that available under the name of Pop rivets. These latter fastening devices, as illustrated in FIG. 3 include a hollow rivet shank 43 extending from a rivet head 41, With a central opening 45 and with which an expancler 46 on a rod 47 is inserted into a blind hole, such as through an opening 44 in a Wall 22. With the head 41 held against outward movernent the rod 47 is urged outwardly to cause expander 46 to enter the opening 45, enlarge the shank 43 inwardly from and to the face 25 therehy causing the fastening device to grip and hold. Further outward force applied on the rod 47 causes it to break, leaving a small covered and substantially concealed portion within the fastening device 42 as can be seen in FIG. 2.

The side plate portions 32 can be providecl if desired, along the faces 35 and 35a With side beveled edges 48 and along the faces 35a with inner beveled edges 49 t facilitate the guiding action.

In use the guides 30 are mounted 0n the heddle frame rails 10, preferably near the ends thereof, or at any other desired location or locations along the rails 10, and preferably pointed upwardly on the upper rails and downwardly on the lower rails 10, and are secured in place by the fastening devices 42.

The guides 30 are effective upon movement of the heddle frames for shedding, for attaining the objects of the invention, the contiguous heddle frames being prevented from rubbing or abrading at the rails 10. Metallic deposits on the fabric are avoided and at the sarne time the guides 30 enhance the smoother operation of the heddle frames for shed formation.

I claim:

1. In m harness comprising heddle frames having metallic top and bottom rails With opposite vertical longitudinal spaced side Walls having unter vertical faces and outer marginal faces, the improvement which comprises,

a guide member for mounting on the -rail having a body portion of a single piece cf material,

said body portion comprising a head portion extending heyond the rail and Wall plate portions extending along the outer vertical faces of the side walls of the rail,

and horizontally disposed fastening members each extending through one of said Wall plate portions and the contiguous one of said side walls and terminating within the rail in spaced relation to the interior 015 the other of said side walls.

2. Loom harness as defined in claim 1 in which said fastening members each has an enlarged portion in engagement with one of said Wall plate members and an enlarged portion interiorly 01 a contiguous rail Wall.

3. Loom harness as defined in claim 1 which said first mentioned enlarged portions are inset with respect to the outer face of the Wall ate ortion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2010786 8/ 193 5 Kaufmann 139-88 2955619 10/ 1960 Flamand 13992 X 3,251,383 5/1966 Kaufmann 13991 1,077,719 11/1913 Kaufmann 139-92 FOREIGN PATENTS 574,573 3/1958 Italy.

344,3 84 3/ 1960 Switzerland.

359,105 1/ 1962 Switzerland.

3,018 1902 Great Britain.

JAMES KEE CHI, Primary Examiner. 

